THE BULBULS OF NORTH CACHAR. 11 
tiny blue beetles, so it is possible that the seeds may merely have been 
swallowed by the birds, either by mistake for, or together with, the insects, 
I was once watching some Bronzed Drongo-shrikes catching white ants, when 
my attention was attracted by some other birds joining in the pursuit. At 
first I could not make out what they were, but one of them uttered a note 
which I recognised as being that of the genus Chloropsis, and on shooting 
the bird which uttered it, I found it belonged to this species. They were making 
swoops into the air from the top of a lofty tree, and before returning to their 
perch, they seemed to seize two and even three ants, whereas all the other 
bulbuls I have seen catching insects on the wing invariably perched after 
making one attempt to capture, whether successful or not. I noticed also that 
though the white ants were rising to our right and the birds were on our left, 
yet they appeared to see and give chase to insects which had disappeared far 
beyond the range of sight, either of myself or the more sharp-sighted Naga 
who accompanied me. 
The ordinary cry of this bird is, as many observers have already remarked, 
a low sweet rippling note, very like the softened cry of a Drongo-shrike. Ithas, 
however, a2 most wonderful range of notes, some like those of Molpastes and. 
Otocompsa, and others harsh, loud and jarring ; avery common sound, uttered 
more especially during the breeding season, is just like the plaintive little chirp 
of a very young chicken which has lost the hen. This note, like most, seems 
to be common to the whole genus. 
The song is very pretty, but short and rather interrupted, and very inferior 
to that of the next bird, though perhaps rather louder. 
The flight is fairly quick and strong, and consists of long rises and dips 
alternately. ‘They sometimes hover in front of a flower, exactly in the same 
way as many of the sun-birds do, and the movements of their wings when thus: 
engaged are incredibly rapid. 
All the birds of this genus have a habit of spreading their tails whilst feeding, 
very much in the manner of Siphia, or, still more, like Myiophoneustemminckit, 
Tt is a very early rooster, retiring directly the sun sets, sometimes even 
before this, and always before it becomes in the least dark. 
Tt does not always roost on high trees, and Iam inclined to think that, more 
often than not, it prefers high, thick bushes to any other place. 
I have twice disturbed it from patches of sun-grass when coming home at 
dusk, and I have known it stay during the night in a dense orange-tree in my 
compound. It is, like the other members of the genus, a great mimic, and 
when in captivity, soon learns to imitate sounds made near it, 
